Be careful what you wish for....

After seeing a Blue Jay one day I mentioned that I would like to see a baby jay ....   darn it.  Wish I had never said it out loud.

Two days later I saw this poor little tyke.  All alone in my backyard.  I don't even know how I noticed him because he was not moving...just sitting there very quietly... probably as instructed.  Or as instinct dictated.
Please click on the photo to see his cute little face up close....

He had no tail really...and, very little in the way of wings... he was too small to fly ..must have fallen and somehow glided or flapped a bit to make it into our yard from a nest nearby...

I then heard an adult Blue Jay and saw what I decided was his Mom on the telephone wires nearby ..calling and waiting til I got the heck out of there.. then she flew down.

He more or less stayed on the blocks near the house and close to some tall grass... but, then..as the day progressed, he got a bit more animated and began to hop around all over the yard.  Over to the chairs, out near the shed..... I was panicked and was worse than his mother... dashing from window to window, worrying about some predator getting him.  I had to be ready to rush out and shoo away Mr. Karma, the prowling neighbourhood cat.  She flew back and forth for hours checking on him and bringing him food and finding little things to feed him from the garden.  She was very attentive and caring.  It was so sweet and yet I felt so sorry for her.

But, then I went to do the treadmill.... and ...when I looked, later in the day... they were gone.  I didn't know whether to be happy or sad.  He must have hopped out into the alleyway under the fence... oh, I sure hope they both went to a kind neighbour yard...... I didn't really see any Blue Jay activity after that.

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday.

Happy not to be an enabler....

Did you see the article on whether city chicks.... (Black Capped Chickadees that is)...... are getting lazier than their country cousins?  Because of us bird feeders.

Apparently a couple of gals studied 100 of them and put them through the paces of caching food and then finding the caches of seeds and things and discovered that people who feed birds are not doing them a disservice.  Whew.

There was no difference between the rural and urban little guys... all found their caches about the same ..

There is plenty of info on the fact that the size of a chickadee hippocampus changes with the seasons... (we always joke about it when they stop coming to the feeder as often when it finally warms up) and the fact that they need, or don't need, to find and cache more food at certain times of the year.  Hopefully this latest study took all of that into consideration.

They also don't show up in moulting season because they are too embarrassed to be seen with big bald patches...like one I saw a year or so ago.  Poor little thing was hiding in the lilac leaves so I wouldn't see him.
I was pretty mean and did take his photo anyway.... I feel kinda bad showing it.  Awww... poor wee thing.

The recent article also said more study was necessary to see if urban vs rural birds had differing responses to "novelty".... not sure what that means.  It didn't explain.

However, I like to think city birds have a very curious nature... and love to explore new things .. like this little guy having a shower and a bath and a drink in my new little fountain...about 3 minutes after I filled it and turned it on.

I had one come last year to the other fountain...about the same time frame after we turned it on... maybe it is the same little curious guy/gal?  Who knows with chickadees? ..

All I know for sure is they sure have all the "c" words going for them.  Cute, clever, curious, clean,


....etc...............

First of all....isn't this the cutest little water fountain you have ever seen?  $60 at Home Depot.  Love it.




So did this little guy.....

First, he sat on the edge and had a sip of the waterfall...then, he jumped right into the centre of the leaf and had a bath...then he got up on the edge... and then..he jumped into the leaf above.  I was waaayyyy too slow to get more than these two photos.

I was peering through the slats of a venetian in the kitchen window and didn't want to put it up and scare him off.  Silly me... I finally did put it up and totally ignored me.  Darn!  Why didn't I just do it sooner?  I could have had much clearer shots.

Linking to Stewart's blog for Wild Bird Wednesday.  Click on his name or the photo below to be immediately transported.........

Wild Bird Wednesday

I have no idea what she is really... but, she seemed to be hanging out with a little Red Poll who I think was injured or sick.  He sat on the same branch for ages one day ... and, she seemed to come and go to check on him.

She looks to me like she could be a finch...perhaps a House Finch... but, she is definitely not a Red Poll.... that is a finch beak, not the tiny one of a poll...

What do you think?  Anything about her give you a perfect read?  Click to see her even "closer up"...

Here is a photo of a male House Finch in the foreground on the feeder .... with some Red Polls in the background... not the same beak shape at all.  

And, if you have never been to Stewart's blog, Paying Ready Attention  ... please do go sometime just to have a look.  This week he is celebrating his 300th week of hosting the link for people to share their stories and photos of birds from all over the world.  How about sharing one of your birdie photos? 

Just click on this link photo below to be magically transported to Stewart's blog  ...  

Limpy survived another winter !!

Some of you may remember my little story about a wounded crow that showed up in our yard in April 2015.  His one wing was almost dragging on the ground and he had a bad leg.  Poor guy was in a bad way.

I put out some food for him and he flopped over to get it and had a drink in my bird bath and hung around.....

Later, I noticed that he took food into a tree across the street and climbed up the branches like they were steps... hopping and flapping and managing to get up pretty high.... and then, sort of sailed across to the nearest tree without even having to really fly.  He and the missus had built a nest there... and for weeks he did that to help feed her .. he worked like a poor, crippled Trojan for weeks.  I almost cried to watch it.  And, I was damned if I would let him down...I put out food whenever he was on the ground.  It was my job.

He would sail down again to our yard and get some more ...as often as I would go out and give him some more goodies.  He recuperated quite a bit and the wing got stronger...he was able to fly short distances if he got scared or felt threatened.   His lady came down every so often and shared some food or visited with him and they sat together on the lawn or in the big tree across the street.

In the fall... she and the "kids" talked to him a lot in the Poplar... and maybe he even tried to go a short distance with them...but, in the end.... they left.  He was unable to go with them.  Later I noticed another smaller crippled crow would show up with him from time to time and then... when the snows came...they disappeared.  I didn't see him for months.  I read up on crows and discovered that they migrate to Kansas or Oklahoma from here in Canada.  Wow....that is a long way south of us.

The cripples and misfits have to stay and hang together during the winter if they can't fly south.  I had no idea if he would last the winter...it gets down to -35C and 40C  around here .... with plenty of snow... this year we still have 4 feet out there ....... but lo and behold... that first spring he showed up in the Poplar across the street...looking pretty darn good... and just hanging out.  I didn't realize for 3 days that he was just waiting for his lady.  Then, she and a few young crows showed up.. and he brought them all down onto the front sidewalk to show his family off and I tossed out some goodies and they all hopped around gathering up things.  They hung around for a day and then... seemed to disappear.

Later I noticed the two of them flying around, gathering twigs and building just down the street.  Apparently they don't use the same nest a second time..they make new ones but in close proximity to the old one.

So, this is the 3rd spring he has shown up and waited patiently for his lifelong mate to show up from her migration trip.  He was here at the beginning of the week... ... hanging out...waiting for his special lady.  I got a bit worried that this year she wasn't coming...but she showed up the other day... whew!

Last year some big usurper crow and his long legged woman set up camp in the tree across our back alley... I call him the Back Alley Crow... and he bullies poor Limpy.  Because he is crippled I guess.   So, poor Limpy and the Missus had to move further toward the golf course... and build there.   They managed to raise some more babies in spite of the ongoing dive bombings from the Bullies... and, they don't come to the yard much... as a matter of fact...I only got to hear him calling me from the tree every so often last year and sometimes when I went golfing...he hopped over to me to share my peanut butter sandwich.  He even recognizes me out of context.  Crows are soooo smart.

He was sitting on a big snowdrift in the front yard for several days til the bully came home from holidays...but, now... he only sneaks in on occasion.   It was such fun to see him peeking into the front window and sliding down the snowbank to get his little bits of chicken and snacks for the few days ...but, I miss him now as he has had to move a bit further away due to the antics of the bully.  If only I could tell them apart before I see my guy on the ground...I could toss things at the wrong "guy" ...but, I can't tell for sure til I see his funny 'hopping' gait ....


The first day I heard and saw him...last week... through the blinds... couldn't  believe he was there sitting on top of the huge four foot snowbank.

   






Here is the size of the snowbanks still around...


He soon had a little trail of footprints up and down the bank...

He had a few days of fun before the other bully crow showed up ... just ahead of his little lady, and then... they had to spend more time out of the front yard than in it.  He still shows up and lands on the privacy fence or the snow bank just to say hi and see if I sprint out with some bits of pork or chicken or some bit of something for him to carry off.
Limpy is a lot of fun.

Here he is the spring of 2016 ...April.... peeking in the window when he showed up after being with the local group all winter... checking if I still lived here and wondering if I remembered I was supposed to toss out some snacks.  Cheeky boy!  Now each spring I look for him as much as he checks on me.

Wild Bird Wednesday

Last week I was going to post my photos of 'plain but pretty' House Sparrows as some other bird photographer called them.

Then I saw Brian King's images of House Sparrows and man... they were so beautiful.... I thought...hmmm....    I dunno.... mine are not that great in comparison.

But, then I thought....Hey !! just a darn minute..... this is not a competition..... it is just fun.

It's lots of fun just seeing other peoples amazing, beautiful, interesting, or just plain funny birds.  I used to laugh out loud at Dave's photos.  He used to post the butts of birds... as a matter of fact...that is the name of his blog... Birds from Behind  .....   ... as that is mostly what we get trying to take photos of birds anyway.  They jump out of the frame at the least opportune time.  Sometimes we get a wing... a part of a foot...a butt....sometimes we get lucky on a first 'click'...sometimes you never get what you are trying for..... you get the idea.

Anyway... after all of that...I give you my lovely little House Sparrows.   My sister and I have decided they are kinda like us.  Our Dad used to tell us we were "homely"... miserable old shit.... our Mom used to tell us he meant "homey" to try to make us think he wasn't just rude.  It's okay... maybe we are sort of middle of the road looking;  even if one of his 3 girls was runner up to Miss Dominion of Canada one year ... .. feisty and fun .... and, on a good day, sort of cute.   I'll take that.

Click on any photo to see it larger ...

Female House Sparrow

Male House Sparrow

Female House Sparrow

Male House Sparrow

Female House Sparrow

Female House Sparrow

So cute... looking right at me and demanding I take her 'best side' ....



Linking up to Stewart's blog at Paying Ready Attention  .... where there are lots of lovely birdies to see ...

Wild Bird Wednesday

Bohemian Waxwings!!

These are actually from last February.  I just saw a huge flock of them last week, but they didn't come to roost in the Poplar tree across the street as usual.  They were checking for the little Mountain Ash tree they came for last year, but alas...it is no more.   It was broken in a wind storm and the owners had it removed.  However, the birds must have found another down the block as I could hear them and see them moving around..and then..poof, as they do....... they were gone in a flash.

Last year I heard them twittering...hundreds if not thousands of them in the poplar...grabbed my camera and dashed across the street to try for a few photos.  I was standing not far from the little berry tree and they flew past so close to my head I couldn't believe it... almost felt the wings beside my ears... I had goose bumps after the first few almost touched me.  It was amazing.

They kept coming and going in groups of twenty or thirty to the little tree...grabbed a berry or two and off they went back to the huge poplar with their buddies.  Then, another group flew down...and, back they went again.  They kept it up for about 20 minutes... by which time they had totally denuded the little Mountain Ash tree and suddenly, just ...gone @!  So quickly .. in one huge flock...up and sideways they went.  Then...total silence.  Like they were never there at all.  Except for the mess.  Berries and twigs and bits all over the snow... under the little tree and under the big one as well.

I got a few great photos...

so, today I share with you "the Bohemians"....  click on any pic to see it larger.

They hang upside down as easily as they do right side up it seems.... and they all did it in order to get at the best berries.

Check out other birdies at Stewart's site...click on the pic below to be transported there.... 

more little Nuthatchies.....

And....a Downy....   Woodpecker, that is...

Just because they are so cute and I stood out in the cold to try for some closer-ups....

One little guy (or girl)  is pretty feisty and brave.  He just kind of peeps softly and stays right on the nut dispenser all the time I am there.  But, then... when I least expect it... he whizzes past my ear on his way to the Juniper tree.  Or to flit back to get my attention.  It is tough to get focused even with Auto Focus, and get a clear shot of him/her.... they flit back and forth to the lilacs and off to a big spruce across the street.... man, they're fast.

You can see them closer too if you like .. just click on the photo ....

This little guy comes to peck on the suet cage and then...kind of falls asleep or dozes for a bit....leaning further and further back...til almost a backbend... he is very flexible.  But, kind of strange...he stays on there til somebody bigger, like a Norther Flicker manages to get his attention and off he goes.  He even stays there while I shovel snow in the patio.  Weird. 

Happy New Year

Cold and snowy and the brilliant sun is shining....

A new year .... so many possibilities .....

It has been so cold the birds are always searching for more seeds and the suet.. it is wild at certain times of the day.  As many as 3 and 4 Flickers hanging out on the wall of the patio and even clinging to the rocks on the side of the house..waiting their turn at the suet.
Sparrows by the hordes... plenty of chickadees and some nuthatches and Downy woodpeckers ...I think we may have a Hairy one too...but, not too sure about him...

This one is so cute.  The big and the small.... Northern Flicker and a tiny nuthatch.... these two don't mind each other on together.  The Downy on the other hand darts around to peck anybody on the other side...this is a bit fuzzy looking because the venetian blind was in the way but I didn't want to scare them off.  Just took the cute photo.




Just look at this cheeky guy.... trying to chase off the sparrow... who does look a bit nervous... he got pecked and just hunkered down for a second or two but, then, decided to get off.